normal practice ?

Legacy_user

i recently bought and then returned an item of clothing,ive now got a message from ebay saying the seller wants to cancel the transaction. is this normal? the seller didnt refund any postage costs and now seems to want her fees back also.

Art_Vandelay_2

You're right, the seller is trying to recover the fees.

A few people will try it but (my personal opinion) it depends upon the nature of the refund, was it just because you didn't like it/changed your mind, or do you feel the seller mislead you?

I had one of these where I bought a new and 'pristine' CD set, though when I received it the box was horrendously scratched and torn, to the point the CDs wouldn't remotely fit in their proper packaging. I felt the seller mislead me so refused their cancellation request, and just sent it back for a refund.

soolin

It is completely up to you if you accept or decline the request.

System

i was ordering a certain size but what came was a different size

Strapped

It's standard practice for "change of mind" returns, but the seller ought to refund the original postage costs.

If you were sent the wrong size to what you ordered ie the seller's mistake (not just that it didn't fit) then seller ought to refund return postage costs too.

If the seller had refunded me the cost of the item but not the original postage then not only would I decline the cancellation request but I would open a PayPal case to get the original postage refunded as well.

Crowqueen

As per the others - it depends what the circumstances were. If it was a genuine change-of-mind request from a business seller, the seller has to by law refund original postage; return postage is discretionary if and only if it says so on their listings. If it is not stipulated on their listings, then you are within your rights to claim not only original postage but return postage; this has to be done elsewhere other than eBay though so it might be better to reflect it in feedback rather than go to the hassle of a court claim or letter before action. Essentially the DSRs are mindful of the need to 'encourage' compliance - or rather de-incentivise non-compliance. Point the seller to the DSR guidelines on the OFT Distance Selling Hub.

For a private seller, it's slightly different; they do not by law have to refund the entire amount. They also do not have to accept change-of-mind returns, so it is technically OK to do this if you came to that agreement with them. It is not something I would do myself. However, if they promised you a full refund then it is obviously not right that they should do this and then expect you to cover their back. For me, if there was no other arrangement such as me paying postage both ways (and with a COM return I suspect I wouldn't be too fussy from a private seller; I might not even request one knowing I was not legally entitled to it, but it is your call and the seller obviously accepted the item back), it would be either postage or fees - either they refund me the postage or I decline the transaction.

If it was the seller's mistake then you should not be out of pocket at all and as long as you returned the item tracked then you can open a dispute.

I guess it boils down to, are you happy with the outcome? If you are, then go ahead and cancel; if you are not you can decline.

QuackQuackOops

You ought to open a case as you are entitled to your postage costs too.